The value of Respect derives from an underlying belief that everyone is valuable. This assembly enables pupils to explore their view of their own value – and, by extension, the value of everyone.

OPENING ACTIVITY

The Specials (artwork)

Before the assembly prepare a large piece of paper (A1 or a piece of wallpaper) with the title ‘The Specials’. As the children are coming into the room (or before the assembly begins) set up a table with the paper and some inkpads. Each child should make a fingerprint on the paper. Provide some baby wipes to clean their fingers afterwards.

Once everyone has done so, display the poster for everyone to see. Talk about the fact that each fingerprint is unique, and that behind every fingerprint is an individual who is loved.

Smarties game (illustration)

This is a well-known illustration which you may have come across before. Ask a selection of different children to come to the front of the assembly to help you with an experiment. Choose children who look different (height, hair colour and style, eye colour, etc.) and who have different gifts and talents. Ask each child to choose a different coloured Smartie and to shout out what colour they have chosen. Then fill a bowl with water and ask each child to drop their Smartie into the bowl.

All of the Smarties are different colours, just as the children are all different on the outside in appearance and on the inside, with different gifts and abilities.

Ask the children to return to their seats and invite them back out after at least ten minutes during the assembly – the best time might be at the end of the talk, before the children are asked to respond to what they have heard. Remind everyone that the children all chose different colours of Smarties. Ask each child to look into the bowl and tell everyone what colour their Smartie is now. All of the children will now say that their Smarties are white.

Just like the children, the Smarties all started off being very different, but underneath, they had something in common all along. We are very different to each other too, both on the inside and the outside, but we all have one thing in common too – we are all special.

FILM CLIP

Play the clip from The Lego Movie (Warner Bros, 2014, certificate U):

Start time: 01:25:28 (in chapter 10 of the DVD)

End time: 01:27:05

Clip length: 1 minute and 37 seconds

The clip starts with Emmet saying ‘You don’t have to be the bad guy.’ The clip ends when President Business (and the father played by Will Ferrell) puts the lid back on the Krazy Glue.

If you are unable to play the clip, say ‘Emmet tells President Business that he doesn’t have to be the bad guy anymore. He says that President Business is the most talented, most interesting and most extraordinary person in the universe, and he is capable of amazing things because he is The Special. Emmet then explains that everyone is special. President Business gives Emmet a hug and puts an end to his evil plot by placing the lid back on the Kragle.’

‘You are the most important, most talented, most interesting and most extraordinary people in the universe!’ How does it feel to be told that? [Take suggestions.]

That is actually a line from The Lego Movie. We’re going to watch a clip soon, but first, let’s think about why every person in this room is special. Can anyone think of a reason? [Take suggestions, prompting if necessary with questions like ‘What makes us all different?’ ‘What would you miss if you had to learn on your own or play on your own?’ ‘Why do we try to treat everybody kindly?’]

[PowerPoint slide 2]

To start with Emmet is told that he is The Special, but he can’t quite believe it. He thinks he is only average. Perhaps you feel like that sometimes. The clip we’re going to watch is from the end of the film, when Emmet has discovered what it really means to be special. Let’s find out what he says to the baddie of the story, President Business.

Play the clip from The Lego Movie:

Start time: 01:25:28 (in chapter 10 of the DVD)

End time: 01:27:05

Clip length: 1 minute and 37 seconds

The clip starts with Emmet saying ‘You don’t have to be the bad guy.’ The clip ends when President Business (and the father played by Will Ferrell) puts the lid back on the Krazy Glue.

If you are unable to play the clip, say ‘Emmet tells President Business that he doesn’t have to be the bad guy anymore. He says that President Business is the most talented, most interesting and most extraordinary person in the universe, and he is capable of amazing things because he is The Special. Emmet then explains that everyone is special. President Business gives Emmet a hug and puts an end to his evil plot by placing the lid back on the Kragle.

[PowerPoint slide 3]

Wow! Nobody thought that President Business could have been The Special! He wanted everything to be done his way, and he wasn’t very nice to people who wanted to do things differently. Do you ever find that you get frustrated when you don’t get your own way? Do you ever feel like the bad guy, the bully or the naughty one?

Emmet said that absolutely everyone is special. All President Business had to do was to go to Emmet and show that he was sorry for his bad choices. ‘You still can change everything,’ Emmet told him.

Christians believe that that is all we have to do to become part of God’s special family, the Church. Let’s read what the Bible says to everyone who comes to God, sorry for their bad choices…

[PowerPoint slide 4]

‘You are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say, “Once you were nobody. Now you are God’s people. At one time no one had pity on you. Now God has treated you with kindness.”’ (1 Peter 2:9-10, CEV).

Christians believe that it is God’s kindness that makes them special. They still struggle with feeling unimportant sometimes. They still struggle with wanting their own way sometimes. But, because God loves them, they know they are special. And, because God has been kind to them, they want to be kind to other people too. It changes everything for them!

[PowerPoint slide 5]

Perhaps we can all make a change this week. If God’s love can make people feel really special, then in the same way our love could make someone feel special too. Maybe we need to say sorry to someone, or to forgive someone, or maybe we need to tell someone that they are special. No matter who they are or what they’ve done, they can be The Special too!

Headings and Bullets

Being told you’re special [PowerPoint slide 1]

‘You are the most important, most talented, most interesting and most extraordinary people in the universe!’

How does it feel to be told that?

What makes every person in this room special?

Emmet, The Special [PowerPoint slide 2]

Emmet is told that he is The Special.

He thinks he is only average.

Later, Emmet discovers what it really means to be special.

Play the clip from The Lego Movie:

President Business, The Special [PowerPoint slide 3]

President Business wanted everything to be done his way.

Do you ever get frustrated when you don’t get your own way?

Do you ever feel like the bad guy?

Emmet said everyone is special.

All President Business had to do was show that he was sorry for his bad choices.

Christians believe that that is all we have to do to become part of God’s special family.

[PowerPoint slide 4]

‘You are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say, “Once you were nobody. Now you are God’s people. At one time no one had pity on you. Now God has treated you with kindness.”’ (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Made special through kindness

Christians believe that God’s kindness makes them special – even though they still struggle.

Because God loves them, they know they are special.

God’s kindness makes them want to be kind to other people too.

‘You can still change everything’ [PowerPoint slide 5]

If God’s love can make people feel really special, then our love could make someone feel special too.

We could say sorry to someone, forgive someone or tell someone that they are special.

No matter who they are or what they’ve done, they can be The Special too!

RESPOND

Reflection

Christians sometimes use four sentences to describe how God feels about each and every person in the world. I’m going to read these out now.

God cannot love you more than he loves you now.

God will never love you less than he loves you now.

God will never stop loving you.

God never started loving you.

How does that make you feel? Think for a moment about how you could give someone else that feeling today.

[Alternatively, ask the group to think about the special people in their lives. What makes them special? Do they know how special they are to you? Think about how you could make them feel more special this week.]

Prayer

I’m going to say a prayer now. If you’d like to join in then just say ‘Amen’ at the end. This means that you want to make the prayer your own – to say the same thing to God yourself.

Dear God, thank you for loving me! Thank you for making me special. Please help me to make other people feel special by loving them. Amen.